Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on the touchline (Getty Images)
Manchester City have had a mixed start to the season so far. They have won, lost and drawn a game each in the league while winning two of their EFL Cup games.
The club managed to secure the signings of Ferran Torres, Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias in the summer. However, there does remain few areas that need strengthening and players could be brought in to bolster those areas in the January transfer window.
The left side of the defence has been City’s Achilles heel for a while now. The arrival of Benjamin Mendy was supposed to put the problem to bed in the long term. However, that has not been the case.
The Frenchman has struggled with repeated bouts of injury and fitness issues. Even when he was fit and ready to go, his style of play combined with City’s tactics were a rather dangerous mix. It is no secret that Guardiola likes to play a high defensive line and maintain possession.
Now that is all very good until their ultra-attacking formations are tested by teams who can counter on the break. With so many players committed forward and the full-backs essentially acting as wingers, it leaves acres of space for opposition wingers to exploit.
Sadly, that has been the case for Guardiola on more instances than he would have liked. City have been repeatedly exposed by opposition right-wingers due to Mendy’s propensity to play high up the field. In games versus Wolves, Leicester and Leeds this season, City were constantly hounded from Mendy’s side and were reeling to get back into their defensive shape.
City will need to look past the likes of Mendy and Zinchenko if they are to have a foolproof backline. They were linked with names such as David Alaba and Nicolas Tagliafico (source – The Sun) but nothing materialised. They will need to step up their efforts in January and make sure they get a decent left-back who can provide at both ends of the pitch.
Back in the day when Fernandinho was a younger player, City had no worries when their players flooded the opposition box. They knew the Brazilian was there to nip out any counter the opposition can muster.
Given the fact that Fernandinho is 35 now, one would have expected Rodri to take up the reigns. While Rodri remains a decent player, he seems too immobile for a fluid team like City. He is good with the ball at his feet and can do a decent job of shielding the defence. It’s his speed and agility that makes him susceptible to fast counters.
He is not fast enough to track back and put in the last-ditch challenge, often leaving Laporte or Stones in a dangerous position with the opposition forwards. City have most of their bases covered but could do with a more mobile defensive midfielder who can transition easily from attack to defence.
